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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association (GCBMA) will host its Annual Conference on Saturday, March 17, 2018at the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell.

Registration will begin at 9:30 AM, to be followed by an illustrated lecture by Marta McDowell, a prize-winning author. Her talk will be entitled, “All The President’s Gardens,” after her noteworthy book.

Marta will trace the fascinating story of how the White House grounds were conceived, and how they have changed from President to President. From George Washington’s obsession with collecting trees to Michelle Obama’s kitchen Gardens, these landscapes became reflections of America’s trends and enthusiasm.

The GCBMA feels that they are very fortunate to have this popular lecturer headline their conference. Ms. McDowell teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Gardens. She was awarded the American Horticultural Society Book Award. The book also made The New York Times best seller list. She has been a featured speaker at venues ranging from the Chicago Botanical Gardens to the Smithsonian Institution.

The meeting will begin a 10:00 AM with a welcome by Dr. David Cowell, President of the GCBMA Board of Trustees. He will introduce Ms. McDowell, and following her lecture, there will be time for a book signing. At noon a delicious boxed lunch will be served to the participants.

TICKETS: The cost of the entire event will be $35 payable at the door. For reservations please phone Alice Gibson at 973-747-2794 or email her at gibsonalice30@gmail.com.

Trenton during the Valley Forge Winter

WHEN: Saturday-Sunday, March 17-18, from 10 am – 5 pmWHERE: The Old Barracks Museum is located at 101 Barrack Street, Trenton, NJ. Free parking is available in the Capitol Complex Parking Garage. Metered parking is also available near the museum.ADMISSION: This program is included with our regular admission fee: $8-Adult, $6-Student/Senior, Free-Children under 6, Active U.S. Military, Members.

On Saturday, the Old Barracks Museum will break your winter cabin fever by reliving the winter of 1777-1778, when Washington’s troops were experiencing the harsh winter at Valley Forge. The Old Barracks will host 18th century carpenters, tailors, seamstresses, shoemakers, leather workers, hatters, gunsmiths, laundresses, soapmakers, clerks, and members of the local militia and Pulaski’s Legion. Old Barracks Historical Interpreters will offer introductions to the Winter of 1778 at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm, and the artisans and tradesmen will be demonstrating all day, both days.

In the winter of 1777-1778, George Washington’s Army suffered through harsh winter with limited supplies at Valley Forge, PA. During that same winter, the residents of Trenton were almost overwhelmed with satisfying the Army’s manufacturing and supply demands while also trying to perform their obligations to serve in the militia. This bit of history about New Jersey’s capital city was not well known, until the publishing of “Crossroads of the Revolution: Trenton 1774-1783”, written by local historian, Larry Kidder. The book vividly portrays Trenton as a beehive of activity that winter. Gen. Casimir Pulaski had come to town making a great many demands for leather goods and supplies for all the cavalry units under his command. The Pennsylvania State Navy had taken refuge in town, with supply demands for weapons, clothing, shoes, boots, and more to be manufactured by the many artisans in the community.

In the aftermath of history's most devastating nautical disaster, the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia made a valiant effort to recover victims of the RMS Titanic.

Our speaker, Sandy Gray, has spent many hours studying the retrieval process, the personal stories, and other intriguing facts. She has visited the site where most of the victims are buried. This program completes the story of RMS Titanic.

Reply to adele170@aol.com, or call or text Adele at 609-661-1733 to reserve your seat now.

MAPLE SUGARING

WHEN: Sunday, March 18, 2:00 to 4:00WHERE: Miller-Cory House Museum, 614 Mountain Avenue, WestfieldADMISSION: $4.00 for adults and children 13 and older, $3.00 for children ages 3 to 12 and free under age 3. For information, please call 908-232-1776 or email millercorymuseum@gmail.com.

One of the seasonal tasks of farm life in colonial days was sugar making in the maple woods. The production of syrup and sugar from the sap of the maple tree is the oldest known industry in America. On March 18, the Miller-Cory House Museum will present “Maple Sugar Sunday.” The program is all about the technique of maple sugaring - how the maple sap rises and flows, how it is collected using wooden buckets and handmade spiles, and how sugar and syrup are made from the sap. (Please note that no tree will actually be tapped.) Also included are tours of the restored, 1740 farmhouse and authentic open hearth cooking demonstrations.

An Afternoon in the Drawing Room with George and Louisa: Music from the MacCulloch Era

The Dolce Trio (violinist Lynn Siebert, cellist Liz Cabrera and flutist/recorder player Kris Lamb) presents a program of vernacular and classical music popular in 19th century America.

Tours of the Crane House and Historic YWCA

WHEN:Sunday, March 18, tours on the hour, last tour at 3 pm; From 1 to 4 pmWHERE: Crane House & Historic YWCA ,110 Orange Road, Montclair.ADMISSION: $6/adult; $5/student/senior with ID; $4/child; under 2 free, good for both sites. Members get in free! Join here. www.montclairhistory.org.

The Crane House and Historic YWCA is a window on to the history of our nation from its early years as an independent country to a country embroiled in the civil rights struggle.

The Pascack Historical Society is pleased to present guest lecturer Linda Barth and her popular program, “Celebrate New Jersey.”. The public is encouraged to attend, and children are welcome when accompanied by an adult.

Save gas and tolls as you tour our wonderful state from the comfort of a chair. Experience the famous and not-so-famous people, places, and events of our great little state. Explore our diverse geography: mountains, highlands, rivers, lakes, and seashore. Visit the South, the North, the Central, and little-known places in between. See the many inventions made in New Jersey, including the Band-Aid, the bar code, and Bubble Wrap. See the largest clock and flag in the world. Follow George Washington as he crisscrossed our state.

Linda Barth has been a fan of New Jersey for a long time. A lifelong resident of the Garden State, she is the author of multiple books about the state and is the executive director of the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey, of which the Pascack Historical Society is a member.

Members of the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions following the talk. Society volunteers will provide complimentary coffee and homemade baked goods.

For additional information about the Pascack Historical Society or its activities, call (201) 573-0307, log onto www.pascackhistoricalsociety.org and follow the group on Facebook.

Join us to celebrate Commodore Stockton’s wife, Harriet Maria Potter Stockton! During this springtime tea workshop, you will learn a bit about Commodore Robert Stockton and his family’s greenhouse and its contents (and even details of how honeybees came to California thanks to the Commodore!) while drinking teas reminiscent of those enjoyed in the 1850s. Tea was a very hot topic in the 19th century, and Nancy Nicosia will present information on the tea trade, varieties of plants and teas popular at that time, along with tea recipes, steeping and cupping procedures, and even medicinal purposes of plants that may have been grown in the Commodore’s greenhouse. All guests may have a guided tour of the Museum’s exhibition “A Gentleman’s Pursuit: The Commodore’s Greenhouse” and take home a plant that Mrs. Stockton and the Commodore would have enjoyed!

The Union Township Historical Society will host Michael Gabriele for a program on his book, The History of Diners in New Jersey.

New Jersey is universally recognized as the “Diner Capital of the World.” Gabriele’s book, published by The History Press, tells the story of New Jersey’s diner business and the evolution of the American diner phenomenon.

Friendly, familiar beacons on the Garden State’s highways and byways and in downtown business districts, diners play an important role in New Jersey’s culture and community life and serve as the ultimate egalitarian dining experience.

More than just roadside attractions that serve coffee, pie, hamburgers, and French fries, diners are a vibrant part of the state’s culture, history, commerce, and mythology. Many classic, factory-built, stainless steel diners have survived and continue to operate throughout New Jersey as landmarks and architecturally significant structures in the state’s “built landscape.”

Gabriele has written three books on New Jersey history, all published by The History Press. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he has been a journalist for more than 40 years. He is a 1975 graduate of Montclair State University and a member of the executive board of the Nutley Historical Society; he serves on the advisory board of the Clifton Arts Center.

THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY IN AMERICA, NORTHERN NEW JERSEY CHAPTER

PRESENTS

Open The Door, I'll Get It Myself—Stories of Women of the African American Migration

From the end of the Civil War until the mid-20th century, African American women left the South and moved north in search of a Promised Land. Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps will present the stories of their journey to New Jersey and the lives they were able to fashion for themselves and their families.

Linda J. Caldwell Epps has more than 40 years of experience working with educational and cultural institutions, including The New Jersey Historical Society, where she served as President and CEO.She serves on various boards including The Newark History Society Board, the Board of the Historical Society of Elizabeth, NJ, and the New Jersey History Advocates Executive Board. She is currently President and CEO of 1804 Consultants.

The Victorian Society of America was founded to protect and preserve—as well as to promote understanding, education and enjoyment of—our 19th Century heritage. The Northern New Jersey Chapter of the VSA holds a meeting with a presentation by a guest speaker each month. Meetings are held at the Montclair Womens Club at 82 Union Street in Montclair. Refreshments will be served.

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